Variety On the Town

Radcliffe Causes Sparks to Fly in Japan

Daniel Radcliffe set Tokyo alight, literally, after arriving in town for the world preem of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” on June 28. Appearing on stage outside the Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills ‘plex, Radcliffe not only set off a tsunami of teen screams, but with the magic command “Lumos Maxima” caused a tower of light to leap up 600 meters high, visible from 25 miles away. The secret of the tower’s amazing manifestation was less in Radcliffe’s wand, however, than in 29 spotlights generating a total of 217,000 watts.

Radcliffe, making his first visit to Japan in four and a half years, since the release of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” greeted the assembled in passable Japanese. “Nihon no fan wa saiko desu” (Japanese fans are the best in the world), he proclaimed. The series has certainly garnered its best B.O. in the world outside the U.S. in the country, with the last entry, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” hitting the ¥13.5 billion ($110 million) mark. Magic indeed. (M. Schilling)

Ringo and Paul Pay Tribute

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr came together to celebrate their late Beatles bandmates, John Lennon and George Harrison, in a bittersweet ceremony at The Mirage in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

As though introducing one of the band’s tunes Starr shouted, “One, two, three, four,” prior to the unveiling of the plaque portraits of Lennon and Harrison. The commemoration coincided with the one-year anniversary of “Love,” the Beatles-based Cirque du Soleil production at the Mirage, which pays tribute to the group’s musical legacy. Also feted was the 40-year anniversary of the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Starr said, “George was a great musician and a dear friend. I love him and I miss him."

McCartney recalled, “They were magnificent men and it is an honor to unveil this plaque to them.”

Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison joined in the event as well as Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.

The plaque portraits will permanently reside inside the “Love” lobby. (B. Scherzer)

Rockwell's Parenting Lessons

Sam Rockwell and young Jacob Kogan debuted their latest pic, "Joshua" at the LA Film Fest's centerpiece screening and reception Tuesday night.  Rockwell has said the movie, a psychological thriller about a young boy, has opened his eyes to the trials and tribulations of raising a child. "Parents should get a medal for a lot of the stuff they go through," he said. During the filming, it was up to director and dad George Ratliff to give Rockwell some parenting tips. "Any time I would have to pick up a baby, George would show me how to do it," said Rockwell. Also in attendance at last night's soiree was co-star Michael McKean along with producer Johnathan Dorfman and Fox Searchlight executive Peter Rice.

Dupri Turns Up the Heat

Jermaine Dupri heated things up at his House of Courvoisier BET Awards after-party in Hollywood Tuesday night. A lively crowd packed the dance floor while Fabulous and Ne-Yo performed their single, “Make Me Better,” followed by Chris Brown who swayed the crowd from “Wall to Wall.” The reigning king and queen of the night — Janet Jackson and Dupri — held court in a VIP booth and mingled with guests Anthony Hamilton, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Tyler Perry. (K. Hunt)

Blethyn's Stand-Up Performance

A full house invaded the DGA Theater Tuesday night for the preem of Warner Independent’s Aussie comedy, “Introducing the Dwights."

Yet, it was Brenda Blethyn, (pictured with director Cherie Nowlan) a genuine Brit, who stole the spotlight – both on and off-screen. Blethyn plays Jean, a comedienne who doubles as the domineering mother to her two adolescent sons. Blethyn ended up writing much of the character’s stand-up routine. “I had never done that before, but it was quite exhilarating,” she said.

The thesp was attracted to the script’s originality and its refusal to sugarcoat this family’s collapse. “It’s an honest household. You just think my character’s grumpy, but you have to look closer.”

Scribe Keith Thompson intended the film to stand out from the mold. “I wanted to write a mother-and-son story, which is less common,” he said. “There comes a time when that relationship between mother and son must end. Mothers are made to be left.”

Or discovered, as auds will have the chance to do when “Dwights” opens on Independence Day. (J. Young)

Mandy Moore's Wedded Bliss

Ah, summer. The season of love, weddings and of course, movies. But rarely do they mix in such a way as Monday night’s “License to Wed” premiere at the Pacific Cinerama.

First came the movie then came the wedding. Well, the wedding reception anyway. Pic’s Mandy Moore led a swarm of paparazzi and hurried guests up to the rooftop of the ArcLight parking structure where a bride and groom welcomed guests to a Jamaican destination wedding.

Film’s John Krasinski, Robin Williams, Christine Taylor, Brian Baumgartner and Rachel Harris mingled with guests Ben Stiller, Billy Crystal and David Crosby over the sounds of a Caribbean band while attendees noshed on fried bananas and a pearly four-tiered wedding cake.

The thatched roof bar and tropical palms left only the ocean missing. Yet, somehow the bright lights of Hollywood and dull lull of traffic seemed a fitting substitution leaving guests staring peacefully over the city. (L. Repstad)

Kudrow's Crazy Talk

Helmer Scott Prendergast took a trip down memory lane during a Q&A following the screening of his film "Kabluey" in Westwood on Monday night. He wrote the film in a Portland library when he was broke, and never imagined he could draw Lisa Kudrow into the leading role.

“She called me and I started hyperventilating, talking a thousand words a minute,” said Prendergast, “And then I realized I was standing in my driveway in boxers with nothing else on.”

“And the reason why I was calling was to make sure he was not crazy,” joked Kudrow.

The pic drew a large crowd to the after-party, sponsored by Moving Pictures Magazine and the L.A. Film Festival, causing a tight squeeze with 600 RSVP’s in a space fit for 200. Guests including Prendergast, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor and Kudrow, had to wait in line until the Fire Marshall finally green-lit their entrance.  (E. Bertet)

Hollywood's Rat Race

While a clown fish in the ocean ("Nemo") and a race car lost in the desert ("Cars") have served as prime summer story lines for previous Pixar pics, "Ratatouille’s” premise of a rat’s passion to become a Parisian chef appeared to have all the earmarks of a Thanksgiving release, particularly with its food motif. Yet, timing didn’t seem to faze exec producer John Lasseter at the pic's premiere on Friday in Hollywood. “It just so happened that our film was on Disney’s summer schedule. We have worked for 10 years to release a movie each year beginning with ‘Cars,’” exclaimed the Pixar topper adding, “Marketing is always a challenge because none of our films fit into a box.” Others getting caught up in the rat race were the thesps who lent their voices to the animated pic, Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo and John Ratzenberg.

(A. D'Alessandro)

Buscemi on the Cutting Edge

"Truth is, I only get my hair cut on film sets," said Steve Buscemi explaining his latest look at the Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of “Interview," on Saturday. Besides lending his acting chops, Buscemi wrote and directed the Sony Pictures Classics film, also starring Sienna Miller. While the movie itself, a remake of the 2003 Dutch film of the same name, was an intense and intimate drama, the sold-out crowd was a lively bunch. "I wasn’t planning on watching the whole film tonight... but I felt really good about the audience and I like seeing the film with a really good crowd," Buscemi told On the Town. At the Parmigiani sponsored after-party at the Camden House in Beverly Hills guests snacked on chicken skewers and assorted fruits and vegetables at candle-lit tables. Again, Buscemi was the man of the hour as friends, such as Rob Schneider, gathered around to capture photos with the thesp on his big night. (K. Stanhope)

Willis Worth the Wait

As 6,000 fans waited for the start of “Live Free or Die Hard,” on Friday night in Gotham, many rose to their feet and faced the back of Radio City Music Hall, searching for their action hero, John McClane. “Where is he?!” one wailed.

At 9:15pm, more than an hour after the screening was to start, the indestructible cop arrived in the guise of Bruce Willis and the lights finally went down. “It’s great to be here at Radio City, in the official home of John McClane!” director Len Wiseman called from the stage. Willis then ran through brief introductions of a handful of cast members, acknowledged 500 off-duty policemen in attendance, and ushered everyone off the stage so the screening could begin.

The event was part fan convention, part revival meeting and part old-school, Friday night film spectacle. Beer flowed at the concession stands. Applause came early and often. The adroit resurrection of the franchise after 12 years in hibernation seemed, by Hollywood’s diminished standards, somewhat miraculous.

“Tonight, you felt all that affection for John McClane,” said Tom Rothman, co-chairman of the Fox studio. “This is a ‘movie’ movie. In a CGI summer, this is pure analog action.”

After the movie, as the clock hurtled toward midnight, the massive invite list at Radio City slimmed down for a party at tony Times Square karaoke club Spotlight Live. Joining Willis for his victory lap were 400 guests, among them Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Kate Beckinsale and Fox production chief Hutch Parker. (D. Hayes)

'Transformers' Take Taormina

“Transformers” got off to a rollicking start at the Taormina Film Festival Thursday night thanks to a spectacular laser show that wowed the crowds at the Sicilian glam spot’s ancient Greek amphitheater. Helmer Michael Bay was greeted warmly by the audience, obviously impressed by the scale of the theater and views of a gently smoking Mount Etna and the Mediterranean. Bay dropped in not just for the screening, along with actor Shia LaBeouf and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, but to pick up a Taormina Arte prize, consisting of a Harry Winston watch (though there ought to be a better term for a limited edition timepiece that’s valued at $24,000).  Also on hand, were James Franco, with his latest pic “Good Time Max," and a bevy of Egyptian stars promoting awareness of the range and vitality of the Arab nation’s cinematic output. (J. Weissberg)

White Stripes Tower Over Fans

Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. reopened Wednesday night thanks to its new owners: the White Stripes.

As part of the band’s week long celebration of its 10th anniversary and new album “Icky Thump,” the Stripes rented out LA’s former vinyl sacred cow, renaming it “Icky Thump Records,” for a fans-only show.

Barking like a southern preacher before 200 fans, Jack White cried, “Welcome to the grand opening of our record store. We specialize in the sale of tangible records.  You know what those are. Can I get an ‘Amen,’ for records you can hold in your hand? Can I get an ‘Amen’ for non-disposable music?”

With its low ceilings and lack of a.c., the former Tower flagship store accentuated the Stripes’ garage stylings and caused Jack to sweat profusely.  However, keeping the mob’s mind off the lack of cool air during the show were the pill box cigarette girls donned in satin candy-stripe dresses and handing out peppermint sticks and ice cream.

There to jump-start the Stripes’ set was none other than Jack Black, whose wry introduction, “I’m the other Jack. Not the color,” immediately triggered the crowd for the band’s onslaught of fresh tracks “A Martyr for My Love to You” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is."

Finishing out the gig, Jack White exclaimed, “It’s a big honor to play here.  This place is a big institution for this town and we don’t take it for granted.” (A. D’Alessandro)

Moore, Aniston Help in "Crisis"

It was clear Tuesday night that Demi Moore has another career she can fall back on... book publicist. The thesp was on hand for the launch of good friend Laura Day's latest work "Welcome to Your Crisis," and spoke passionately to On the Town about the book's message. "When we are in crisis or in a difficult moment it just feels only that, which is oppressive. But we can step back and see how the crisis was really leading us to something greater," she explained. And, like a good publicist, she didn't stop there. "Laura is one of my oldest friends. I have known her for 20 years. We have shared such a long journey of each of our lives and I relate to her as my friend and I respect her enormously as an author."

Also at the chic soiree at ONE Sunset in West Hollywood was Jennifer Aniston who called Day, "A fantastic woman who I have known for years," as well as hosts producer Ryan Kavanaugh and agent Kevin Huvane.                                                                    - posted by Mia Sulpor

"Sicko" is Admitted to Gotham

At the Gotham premiere of Michael Moore's latest doc, "Sicko" on Monday, Harvey Weinstein praised the helmer but saved his big thanks for an agent. “I have to get to my lover and that is Ari Emanuel,” Weinstein teased. “How many agents do you know who stands up and says to the New York Times (when “Fahrenheit 9/11” came out) that Michael Eisner is full of shit and that the Disney Corporation is being paid off by Florida to protest this movie?”

After the pic screened at the Ziegfeld Theater, Moore received a standing ovation as the credits rolled. And during a press lunch less than 24-hours later at Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Plaza, the helmer said that although he is working on his next film he would not discuss it with the media in the hopes of keeping possible opponents at bay. (A. Morfoot)

Katzenberg's Tasteful Fete

“Agent and humanitarian is not an oxymoron,” explained Jeffrey Katzenberg at the Jonsson Cancer Foundation’s 12th annual Taste for a Cure benefit at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Saturday. Katzenberg, co-chaired the event, which honored United Talent Agency’s partner and board member Jay Sures with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian award. In an effort to raise money for the foundation, comedian Kevin Nealon auctioned off lavish getaways to Napa, Italy and Australia. Besides the wine and food tasting reception, featuring vino from leading California women vintners and a three-course meal prepared by LA's top women chefs, the close to 600 attendees were also treated to a surprise performance by Mary J. Blige. (S. Francis)

Thesps Make a Splash

Not all of Hollywood's leading ladies were at the Women in Film awards gala on Thursday eve. Kristin Davis and Kerry Washington cooled off during a Yves Saint Laurent hosted pool party at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

They were joined by close to 400 guests including Barbara Walters, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, who not only enjoyed a water ballet performance but also indulged in a lavish three-course lobster dinner, all while raising $550,00 for Los Angeles' Center Dance Arts.

Keaton's Biggest Fan

When accepting her award at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Thursday night, director Nancy Meyers used her time at the podium to discuss today's women in trouble. “What about the women in Hollywood who started giving women a bad name? The ones who think it is ok to drink and drive and don’t wear underwear. I understand burning your bra, but I do not understand not wearing underpants," she said. But one woman who definitely has Meyers admiration is Diane Keaton who presented the Dorothy Arzner Award to the outspoken helmer. "The great thing about Diane is that she really did redefine the female movie star," said Meyers. "I think she single-handedly made being unique, complicated and funny, sexy."

Walters Gets A Star

Sure she has been able to get Boris Yeltsin, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro to open up during her many interviews but if it wasn't for Ms. Walters the world would never know that Paris Hilton has actually been "acting dumb" all these years. Hilton recently admitted during a phone call from jail to Walters that she has been hiding her inner genius. After uncovering this revealing revelation Walters definitely deserves the Star on the Walk of Fame she received Thursday afternoon. And who was among the crowd watching the honor? Well besides her View co-hosts Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, none other than Paris' mother Kathy and sister Nicky.

Ali's Picture Perfect Punch

Knockout Heidi Klum honored knockout Muhammad Ali at the Claiborne and DETAILS hosted “Magnum Photos: Muhammad Ali,” at 401 Projects in Gotham on Tuesday. The evening curated by Muhammad Ali's daughter, Maryum Ali, and long-time manager and friend, Gene Kilroy, combined the iconic images of the great Muhammad Ali with the personal, rare glimpses of the man behind the myth. The exhibition features the work of Magnum photographers Thomas Hoepker, Abbas, and Alex Webb. The exhibit is on display at 401 Projects in New York until July 29. A portion of the proceeds from print sales will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Fox was on hand for the event along with Mariah Carey, Damon Dash, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rocco Dispirito.

Wonder Gives His Best

Stevie Wonder received a standing ovation as he accepted the American Society of Young Musicians' Living Legend Award Thursday night at the orgs Spring benefit concert in Hollywood.

Upon receiving the kudos from ASYM's Prexy Jarvee E. Hutcherson, Wonder told the crowd, "For as long as I live, you have my commitment to give you the best that I've got." Other honorees at the ceremony included Hip Hop artist Young Jeezy, Evanescence and Avril Lavigne.

A Ghetto Gala

It’s not at every film awards gala that one of the honorees is named Spanky, but then again there are many extraordinary things about the Ghetto Film School, which hosted its annual spring benefit Monday night at Italo eatery Bottino. South Bronx-based org connects minority students with opportunities in the film world, and includes on its board helmer David O. Russell, IFC gm Evan Shapiro and producer Rachael Horovitz. Presenter Elvis Mitchell pointed out, however, that the evening was definitely not authentically ghetto by taking place at Bottino, a one-time Chelsea hotspot best known for serving hungry gallerists and not-so-starving artists. Also making the scene were helmers Mira Nair and Tamra Davis, Harvey Weinstein, CAA’s Bart Walker, and thesp Ione Skye. (I. Mohr)

'Strike' Hits Gotham

Though the Gotham premiere of Volker Schlöndorff’s “Strike” was small in size, it was big on international flavor. Hardly two conversations took place in the same language Monday night at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. Polish consul-general Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk talked with the German Schlöndorff; a group from various international cultural organizations chatted exclusively in French; and Americans from producer Red Envelope entertainment explained in English how their company related to the film.

It’s still a little confusing, even in one’s native tongue.

“Certain categories of film tend to really over perform on Netflix,” said Bahman Naraghi of Red Envelope. “So we try to predict what those films will be.” To that end, Red Envelope distributes films like “STRIKE” theatrically, while parent company Netflix makes them available on DVD to their subscribers.

And Red Envelope’s latest film? Schlöndorff (pictured right with thesp John Malkovich) was unapologetically proud. “I wanted to make a film, not really about Solidarnocz [the Polish Solidarity movement], but about the character. I thought it was amazing that any human being, like a grain of sand, could interfere with the gears and derail the train of history.” (S. Thielman)

An Evening with "Evening"

In a night marked by household names, the New York premiere of Focus Features’ “Evening” gave a starring role to a tyro venue.

The Bowery Hotel, on the site of former Skid Row squalor, is a newly minted downtown destination, but until Monday’s event it had never been the site of a premiere party.

Many guests came to the fete, which followed a Chelsea unspooling, at least in part to explore the second-floor bar, terrace and lounge complete with pool table and rec-room-style lights.

On hand were “Evening” cast members Claire Danes, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Mamie Gummer, Eileen Atkins and Glenn Close; scripter Michael Cunningham, author Susan Minot and director Lajos Koltai. Focus topper James Schamus was joined by his former co-prexy, David Linde, now co-topper of Universal Studios, and other guests included Sam Waterston, Molly Shannon and event co-host Donna Karan. (D. Hayes)

Eli Roth Focuses on the Ladies

After passing through the metal detectors on the third level of Hollywood & Highland on Thursday, it was pretty easy for any AFI tribute guest to wander accidentally into “The Hostel: Part II” premiere given the proximity of both events.

However, the two butcher-clad killers in the “Hostel II” theater should have been obvious give-aways to any meandering AFI attendee that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For “Hostel” helmer Eli Roth, the one demo getting their thrills from the stunt were ladies under 24.  After the exit polls for the first “Hostel” posted a strong female turnout, Roth switched his protags in the sequel from guys to girls.

“I knew I had to be careful with their torture sequences and shoot them in a more operatic fashion,” said Roth, “but I wanted to have that scene which would steal the summer.” That particular shot entailed Lauren German’s character pulling a Loretta Bobbit on Roger Bart’s villain during the pic’s climax.

“The MPAA was pretty cool about it. I asked them ‘Do you want girls to come out cheering or having nightmares?” beamed Roth. (A. D'Alessandro)

Shadyac's Animal Sanctuary

Hollywood looked more like a zoo than usual at the Universal's "Evan Almighty" preem after-party on Sunday, which featured animal cardboard cutouts, carnival games, face painting and ice-cream sundae stations. Co-stars Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes and helmer Tom Shadyac were among the guests enjoying the festivities. Shadyac told On the Town doing the film was a labor of love. "Just like God says in the movie 'two by two,' we did it one by one. This was the most animals ever used in a motion picture. Between bird species, reptiles and animals there were hundreds and hundreds," he said. "We had a zoo every day on the set."

- posted by Mia Sulpor

Pacino's Big Question

It was a sea of love for Al Pacino Thursday night when he was honored with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Friends, co-stars and admireres including Sean Connery, Chris O'Donnell, Winona Ryder, Samuel L. Jackson and Sean Penn, paid tribute to the thesp. The three-hour event featured famous film clips from Pacino's movies such as "The Godfather," "Scarface," "Serpico" and "Scent of a Woman," as well as a plethora of praise from the likes of Kirk Douglas, Andy Garica, Robin Williams and Oliver Stone. After many jokes at his expense, Pacino finally got a chance to get a laugh when he took the stage to accept his award saying, "Seeing my life in the movies, I have one question. And that is: Why aren't I in rehab?"

- posted by Mia Sulpor

Williams Works the Crowd

Wilmer Valderrama stood out as the only young Hollywood hipster at the annual Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s Los Angeles Gala, Making Magic Happen, which he emceed Wednesday night at the Century Plaza Hotel. The fundraiser honored Robin Williams who charmed the crowd, which included Billy Crystal, Cheryl Hines and Angie Harmon with his usual — and still effective — jokes; notably his imitation of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about stem cell research, which made the audience break into laugher. On a more serious note, Valderrama told On the Town about the work he has done with the foundation. “I’ve played basketball with kids in wheel chairs and visited hospitals,” he said. "It’s been the most awakening experience I’ve had." (E. Bertet)

"Ocean's" roars into LA

The hundreds of screaming fans who lined Hollywood Blvd. in hopes of getting a glimpse of their favorite star at the "Ocean's Thirteen" premiere Tuesday night in Los Angeles were not disappointed. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin were among the A-list crowd who dazzled the red carpet. Pitt and Jolie were even bigger crowd pleasers when they hoped the rope and signed autographs for the gung-ho gawkers.

Spacey Speaks on Sullivan

At the Grand Classics screening of "Sullivan’s Travels" on Monday night sponsored by Land Rover, host Kevin Spacey not only introduced the pic but also took time to discuss a little movie trivia as well as praise the man behind the movie, Preston Sturges.

"[Sullivan's Travels] is one of the first movies that Veronica Lake, who became a kind of symbol of Hollywood, one of her very first leading roles and its notable to say that when she accepted the movie, she failed to tell Preston that she was five months pregnant. So Edith Head, who was the costumer and a great, Academy-Award winning costumer, had to design costumes that hid the fact that she was in fact, in full-bloom and she is beautiful in the movie and extraordinary to look at in the film but they managed to hide it.[Sturges] went on to have an extraordinary career and he is one of my favorite filmmakers. It was not unusual in any Preston Sturges movie to hear a character say the most eloquent line of dialogue you’ve ever heard and then turn and fall flat on their face. He was a man who believed in comedy and believed in its power."

Pitt, Clooney Make a Solid Impression

Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and George Clooney rolled up their sleeves this afternoon and firmly planted their hands and feet in cement during the "Ocean's Thirteen" Hand and Foot ceremony in front of the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater. It is a busy week for the boys who just returned from Cannes and will attend the "Ocean's" Los Angeles preem tonight before heading to Las Vegas on Wednesday for the CineVegas Film Festival.

Ziskin's Well Wishes

Spidey star, Topher Grace, was on hand to present the pic's producer, Laura Ziskin, with the Tribute to the Human Spirit Award at the Wellness Community 25th Anniversary Gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Ziskin, a cancer survivor, has in the past, spoken honestly about her battle with the disease admitting, "A lot of people say that cancer is the best thing that happened to them because it taught them to change their lives. I certainly do not feel that way. It sucked." But when accepting her award Thursday night, Ziskin credited her friends and doctors for her recovery.  “I got very unlucky. I was diagnosed with an inconvenient tumor... a little over three years ago, but then my luck changed with the help of extraordinary friends and two incredible doctors.”